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Beginning this season, the National Weather Service has changed their
Eau Claire County Siren Warning Policy
When the siren sounds, it means a dangerous storm is approaching with
hail larger than 3/4 of an inch in size and/or winds greater than 58 miles
per hour and conditions are favorable for tornadoes. Sirens will also
sound if a tornado warning is issued, but tornadoes can occur without
time for a tornado warning. Activation of sirens on the severe
thunderstorm warning allows time:
for people to locate children to insure they are in a safe place before
the storm hits.
for people in mobile homes to find shelter
for people in boats on a lake to get into shore.

The National Weather Service has changed their method of predicting
the path of a storm. Instead of issuing a warning for an entire county,
warnings are now based on the expected path of the storm. This storm-
based warning method allows the sirens to be sounded in a more
community-specific manner. We are now able to avoid warning non-
threatened portions of the county and instead can focus on a more
geographically specific area for each warning.

We cannot stop the storm damage in most cases, but we can move
people into safer areas to protect lives. Timely warning gives
opportunity for people to make decisions about what they will do to
avoid injuries from severe storms.